A Treat for the Ears

I have recently been listening to a lot of audiobooks. It has almost gotten to the point where I cannot listen to the radio any more. I have grown accustomed to having someone speaking in my ear all the time. I assume this is a result of being married.

My latest audio treasure is Stephen Colbert’s “I Am America (And So Can You!)”. First of all, let me say that I love watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report. I am not lying when I say these are the only two sources of political news that I can understand.

For me politics is like most sports. I really have no idea what is going on. As far as our government is concerned I know that every state has two Senators. That comes out to about 100 Senators for the whole country. How many Representatives are there? I do not know…somewhere between four score and thirteen baker’s dozens squared? I do not understand the subtle interplay of politics on any level, be it local or national.

There are only two things I know for certain:

1. I have absolutely no say in anything that happens with any level of government. If you think you do, you are wrong. Do not misunderstand me here. I have voted and will continue to vote in the future. I love participating in fruitless wastes of effort. If I did not wish to participate in them I would not come to work every day. Do not try to tell me that my vote gives me a say in what happens in our country. I know it doesn’t. You know who really elects the President? The Electoral College. Who’s in the EC? Not me, that’s for sure. Google it or use Wikipedia and let me know what you find out about the EC. I have done this and still cannot definitively tell you who the Electoral Collegiates are or how they become as such. There are just too many people at any level for one of them to have any real influence on the way things work. Sorry if that brought you down. The Truth is hard to deal with sometimes.

2. I honestly cannot remember what the second thing I knew for certain was. Number one turned into such a rant that I am now at a loss. Oh well. I’ll add it later if it comes to me before I end this.

On election night, 2008 my only source of Presidential Election information was Comedy Central’s Indecision ’08 hosted by Stewart and Colbert. It made me laugh and dumbed the election news down to the point where I could understand it. The first I heard that Obama had been elected was from the mouth of Jon Stewart. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’ve gotten off track. It tends to happen when you have so many words and such poor typing skills. I was here to discuss Colbert’s book.

“I Am America (And So Can You!)” is some funny, funny stuff. If anyone on this earth takes a word of this book seriously I would have to slap them. Every other sentence is self-contradictory (it’s a real word. look it up.) nonsense that simultaneously borders on the ridiculous and blasphemous. Not even the public libraries are safe from Colbert.

At just over 3 1/2 hours it would not be considered by anyone a long book. For such a short work Colbert seems to be able to belittle just about every religion (except Roman Catholicism) and just about every profession (except political commentator). He is, however, able to do it in such a way as to not make me feel guilty for not being a Roman Catholic political commentator.

In the time between starting this blog and posting it I have already listened to the book twice. It is just that good. You do not have to follow my advice but if you do, as you should, you will run out and either read this book or listen to it right away.

What have you listened to or read lately that has not changed your life?